I about fell out when I heard the news about yet another update for NASCAR 26. It feels like I can’t even finish a glass of sweet tea before a new patch drops. We are already seeing fixes for wheel vibrations and missing content for Steam players. It is just too much, too soon.
The developers at iRacing are working hard, but the game feels broken. According to Daily Downforce, this new round of fixes covers three different platforms. The update addresses a problem where wheels would roughly shudder or vibrate. It also fixes a technical issue that kept some Gold Edition players on Steam from accessing their September DLC pack.
The Patch List is Way Too Long
A game should be ready to race when you buy it, not a science project. We already dealt with a day-one update that addressed things like AI pit behavior and even a potential crash in Career Mode. Now, we are back to fixing the sun position at Chicagoland. It is hard to get excited about a new season when the foundation is still being poured.
The list of issues is getting long. Per Daily Downforce, players have seen things like hard locks during qualifying at Kansas and graphics problems at Bristol. I remember when a game launch meant you could just sit down and play. Now, it feels like we are all part of a testing group for a product that wasn’t finished.
Fixing the Basics Should Be First
I am glad the developers are responding to the mess. The official NASCAR 26 account shared that the update includes improvements to the Estimated AI Rating accuracy in Peak Performance. They even fixed the way caution running order names fit in their containers. These are small things, but they matter when you are trying to enjoy the race.
It is a shame that even the sun at Chicagoland needed an update. I just want to be able to use the content I paid for without a headache. If you preordered the Gold Edition on Steam, the developers say the technical issue preventing access to that September pack is fixed. I really hope that is the last of the “oops” moments for a while.
